Posted on 02/17/2008 10:20:04 AM PST by calcowgirl
McCain? No Way!
by Sen. HL "Bill" Richardson (ret.)
Chairman of the Board, GOA
Americans are being told by the mainstream media that conservatives have no other choice than to back the hypocrite from Arizona. All that is required is to pretend he is "really" a conservative. "So, crawl under the big Republican tent and vote for McCain," we are told. "Besides, what other choice do you have?"
We have plenty of choices, none of which calls for casting our vote for the lesser of two presidential evils.
First, the Republican race isn't over. Huckabee is still around and as Kansas and Louisiana should point out, the Romney vote flocked to Huckabee. Not that they loved Huckabee, but that they have zero trust in the promises of McCain. Even if Huckabee loses, what makes anyone think conservatives will vote for McCain?
Don't you liberals get it? The republican conservative believes McCain would be a vindictive president. He's proven his dislike for conservatives and would gut us at every opportunity.
Why do I say that? Because of three decades of experience as a Republican California Senator and a fifty year activist in the conservative movement. I have first hand, in-their-face experience with elitist RINO's (Republican in Name Only) office holders. They are biblically ignorant, power hungry, status seeking egotists who have no difficulty aiding their liberal Democrat colleagues whenever their arms are politely twisted. The one thing they have in common with liberal Democrats is their dislike of all conservatives, especially those who are Bible-believing. McCain, as president, would stifle the voices of elected Republican leaders and try to legislate the conservative movement out of existence.
There is no reason why any conservative should be depressed, especially if they look at past history. I clearly remember the political climate in 1964. We newly-awakened conservatives had a real friend running for the Republican nomination. Barry Goldwater defeated a liberal Republican in the primaries, but in the general election, the mainstream media slaughtered him. In 1964 it was easy to do; we had no effective political action committees, no conservative organizations, few pro-life activists, little religious participation, no talk radio, a handful of articulate conservative legislators, no fax machines and zero Internet. After the 1964 November election, all looked hopeless. Not a bright star on the horizon....But!
In 1966, we conservatives elected an actor as Governor of California. I was elected to the State Senate. The thespian and I were greener than grass but we were both quick to learn. Ron Reagan became a national star, a conservative leader in the nation’s most popular state. He couldn't be ignored.
I founded Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners of California. We became the second largest pro-Second Amendment organization in America with membership in the hundreds of thousands. We concentrated our efforts on electing pro-gunners to the legislature and stopping anti-gun legislation. We grew rapidly and were quite successful. During liberal Jerry Brown's eight years as governor, not a single anti-gun bill was signed into law. The reason was simple -- although the liberal Democrats controlled both houses of the legislature, no anti-gun legislation passed from either house to find its way to the Governor’s desk.
The entire gun movement is close to accomplishing that feat on a national level. As long as the gun community hangs together, it will make little difference on gun issues who is sitting in the White House. The same could be true of other major conservative organizations as long as they stay in the fight. We are much better off than in 1964 and much better organized.
The other good news is that some of the weak-sister Republicans are leaving office -- not willing to scrap it out with the liberal Democrats. Hooray, happy to see you go! Call Gun Owners if you need a ride out of town. We have an opportunity to replace them with tough, no nonsense conservatives. Already, some very fine men are seeking these vacancies.
We at Gun Owners intend to be very engaged in Congressional and US Senate races.
I personally will not cast a vote for the presidency -- that is, if McCain is the Republican nominee. Under no circumstances will I vote for either of the Democrats. This will be the first time in fifty years that I have made this choice. I hope it will be the last.
Yes, twice.
And might I add to your list: threaten and flail about. But that's still not going to move any conservative left.
Didja ever notice how leftists calling in to talk radio programs always claim to be conservatives or lifelong Republicans?
so you quote Sydney Schanberg? a reporter for the New York Slimes and view his word as being the gospel? Schanberg won a pulitzer and he worked for the NY slimes for years. He was a correspondent but read about the other great military men that KNOW and endorse McCain. Including Bud Day and in my opinion...Day is among the best.
http://blog.4president.org/2008/2007/11/former-pows-sup.html
Omigosh! I forgot the rest of the html stuff! (re: you rethinking your repeated "You are for Yobama" comments) Soooo Sorry.
John McCain's Chief Media Advisor is suggesting he will quit the campaign — rather than work against Barack Obama. Mark McKinnon was a Democrat before working for President Bush's campaign in 2000 and 2004. He tells National Public Radio — "I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama. I think it would be uncomfortable for me, and I think it would be bad for the McCain campaign." McKinnon says while he disagrees with Obama on fundamental issues, he likes him a great deal. He says he will still support McCain — but only from the sidelines.
And, here's the Statistically Insignificantpart My bad. It wasn't his campaign manager--it was his Media Advisor.
Heck, let's make 2008 the starting point on that issue! Just because I will not support McCain doesn't mean I won't vote for or send money to Congressional or Senatorial candidates I support. No money to the NRSC, though. Until they purge the RINO's there, they get no support from me! We need to make it known that we are not going to support someone just because he has an 'R" next to his name!
NO!
The choice is to put up the fiercest opposition to liberalism we can muster. And that won't happen if we give McCain the keys to the GOP. We will be destroyed from within (just like we have seen in California with Schwarzenegger.)
Strawmen arguments are so fracking weak. Some real conservatives are going to vote for McCain, because he is better than Obama. You don't speak for us, we don't take your orders. Deal already.
Ahh, of course.
Interesting. On the one hand, I was thinking that maybe the sit-outers had never actually done it before, and are in for a rude awakening when they see how pointless and insignificant it is. But on the other hand, I also suspect many of you are people who rarely cast votes for viable candidates anyway. The Alan Keys/Constitution Party/Libertarian crowd, satisfied to cast a 1%er vote and leave the actual choosing of a leader to everyone else.
No, there are only two choices. If you send money to conservative Congressional or Senatorial candidates instead of McCain then you're supporting Obama.
/sarcasm
Thanks, you’re a bundle of useful information and a font of logic.
There aren't any third options on that...
Really? What about you?
With the exception of those two times I have voted for the Republican Pres. candidate every time since ‘72.
That's baloney. Hunter was never even enough of a factor to get a hatchet job. He was a tiny little fringe guy who 90% or more of America knew nothing about. Here on FR, he wasn't even supported by a majority. If a conservative can't get traction here, he's toast. It's not all a conspiracy. Sometimes people just don't catch on.
who would be your ideal candidate and conservative? and I stand by the fact there are vast differences between Obama/Hillary and McCain. A vote dem is a vote against our national security.
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